A/N Well you lot are in luck, normally I don't post the next chapter this quick. A big thanks to MaryMatthesen and Clumsy Clouds for review the last chapter and thanks to all of you who have added the story to your alert list. Anything in Italics is a flashback. Now as the title says: Let the games begin!
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. If I did then I wouldn't be here writing fanfiction I'd be traveling through time and space.
"YOU LOST THE PRISONER? HOW DO YOU LOSE A PRISONER?" A voice shouted furiously from a high class office.
"Well the planet's population has increased significantly over the last generation. It really is a testament to your genius Sir. I mean, where better to hide the prisoner than on a replica of its home world? Even if anyone comes looking for it there's no way they'd be able to find it… including us Sir." A middle aged man replied, voice thick with fear. Nervously he tugged at his tie, gaze flickering toward a large monitor on the far wall.
"Do you know what this means you insignificant piece of scum?" The voice questioned as the man swallowed audibly. "It means that I have to put the entire planet on lockdown and tag every single human on this stupid rock. Do you have any idea how much that will cost me?" With a sigh a creature of massive proportion stepped into view on the screen. "This is going to require cuts to the budget."
"Would you lie me to call in the accounting team Sir?" The man asked inching towards the door.
"No, your job should suffice. You're fired." A burst of light shot from the monitor, vaporizing the man instantly. A young woman walked in with a clipboard in hand, not bothered in the least by the burn mark on the carpet. "Secretary, tell maintenance we need to initiate safety protocol one."
"Yes Sir. Might I make a suggestion that will lower the cost and make it easier to tag the humans?" At a nod from the alien she continued. "If you pitched it as a world-wide game they would be less likely to hide. Plus you could sell aides, boosters, even souvenirs."
"Hhmm yes. After all I am looking for the star of my next show. Get Marketing on it immediately. I want this up and running in five hours!" He ordered. "And have Director call me. I want to know where the Doctor is. Don't want him interfering in my search for a new Time Lord."
3 HOURS
"Ello! Could you please direct me to your legal department?" The Doctor smiled at the receptionist as he leaned against her desk.
"Do you have an appointment?" She asked not even bothering to look up from her computer.
"Weeelll no but its imperative that I speak with them immediately." He replied.
"I'm sorry sir I can't let you in without an appointment." She intoned.
"Fine then let me speak to whoever's in charge. President, CEO, somebody! I'm the star of your little show and I have a major complaint!" He grumbled irritably.
"Sir you are going to have to take part in the games just like everyone else if you want to star in our new show. Now if you don't leave I am going to call security." She looked pointedly at the nearby security guard.
"No need for that, I was just leaving." He murmured a frown on his face. "Something is definitely not right here." He added as he walked out the revolving doors.
5 HOURS
"How does he expect me to find a toddler in the middle of Hollywood?" Donna grumbled as she took in the view in front of her. The TARDIS had landed right on Sunset Boulevard. "He can't possibly expect me not to do some sight-seeing while I'm looking for her now can he?" She reasoned to herself.
She quickly hurried into the crowd, eager to see as much as possible. Grauman's Chinese Theater. The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. The Hollywood Sign. Each place was a wonderful mix of sound and color and culture. At each place she asked if anyone had seen the little girl in the picture.
Six souvenirs, two aching feet and one fruitless search later found Donna sitting on the beach waiting for sunset. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore nearly drowned out the sounds of families gathered around fire pits, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.
A lone surfer was in the water catching the last waves of the day. He began to do a series of tricks, obviously trying to impress some girl on shore. She laughed as a mighty wave came up and knocked him off his board, landing just below her in the sand. "Took quite a tumble didn't ya?" She teased as he pulled his board out of the water. He had a well-toned torso and tanned skin. Carmel colored hair dripped into his eyes as he glanced up at her.
"Yeah but you get used to it after a while." He replied with a grin. "Judging by your accent you're not from So Cal. You doin' the touristy thing?"
"A little bit, but I'm also lookin' for somebody." She rummaged around in her bag for the photo. "Actually a friend of mine is looking for her, I'm just helping. You seen her?" She handed the picture to the young man.
"Well yeah I've seen her but she hasn't looked like that for a long time." He frowned and looked up as two other teenagers walked up behind Donna. "Hey Alexandria, This lady's got a picture of you as a little kid." He handed the picture to Alexandria as Donna turned to face the newcomers. There was no mistaking it, the young lady before her was the grown-up version of the girl in the picture.
5 HOURS
"So, school's out, the weekend's ahead of us, I say we hit the beach."
"You always wanna go to the beach Dylan!" Alexandria teased. "But I agree with you, I'll go almost anywhere to get away from these pretentious losers." She growled as a group of girls laughed loudly at a joke obviously made at her expense. "What about you Connor?"
"You are always running to the beach. You always run away from your problems. And neither one of you ever runs to your homework!" Connor sighed with exasperation, pointing to each one in turn. "It's a wonder you two are even graduating."
"So now that you've covered our behavioral problems are you coming to the beach?" Dylan asked heading towards a beat up jeep.
"Yeah I'm coming." He replied holding the door so Alexandria could get into the backseat before getting into the passenger seat himself. "You gonna call your parents and let 'em know where we're going?" He asked as Dylan pulled out of the parking lot.
Frowning she responded, "No I'm not, they wouldn't care anyways."
"You need to hang out with other people Alexandria! Spending all your time with Connor and Dylan isn't good for you!"
Alexandria grimaced as her father finished the last of his food. "How is it bad for me? They're respectful, kind, funny. They care about me and we've been best friends since we were little!" She countered.
"Because they're boys! You need to hang out with girls your age. It's essential for your healthy development." Her mother sighed wearily.
"The only girls my age that I could possibly get along with are involved in sports and I can't play sports because of my stupid heart!" She yelled storming out of the room. She stopped just out of sight and grabbed her side. "Stupid heart." She grumbled as she felt the irregular beating pick up pace.
"They really aren't paying us enough to take care of her. You should ask them for a raise." Her mother whispered angrily.
"Oh no. We're in enough hot water for letting her have that stupid flashlight, complaining about her behavior could get us fired." Her father responded a hint of dread in his voice.
"Just because you're adopted and your parents think you need to have other friends doesn't mean they don't care about you." Connor stated as the car came to a stop.
"I thought we came to the beach to get away from serious topics?" Dylan asked jumping out of the jeep, mock severity in his voice. "So what our plan of attack? Rock climbing? Surfing? Epic sword fights in the sand? All of the above?"
"Definitely all of the above!" Alexandria answered with a grin as she opened the back hatch.
"All but that last. I put the swords back in the house." Connor replied as he watched her search through the junk. "You know what would happen if security found those on school property." He scolded as she glared at him.
"Fine. I'm going to go change into my swimsuit." She said with a dramatic sigh. "When I get back you two better be shirtless!" She called over her shoulder as she headed towards the restrooms.
Dylan doubled over in laughter as his brother's jaw dropped. "Yes she just said that and I call dibs on helping her surf." He teased as throwing Connor a pair of swim trunks before grabbing his own. Connor shook his head and followed his brother towards the men's room.
Soon after the three reappeared: the boys in their swim shorts and Alexandria in a tankini top and board shorts. "So Rock climbing?" She asked nodding towards the nearby rock formations. They spent the next couple of hours clambering over the rock and pushing each other into the waves.
"Alright, those waves are calling to me! Can't you hear 'em Alexandria?" Dylan cried cheerfully as he headed towards his board.
"Yeah I hear them. You'll be alright all by yourself?" She asked Connor as he sat in the sand.
"Yup I'll be fine. You kids run off and have a good time." He replied. Dylan took that as his queue to get in the water. "Hey Alexandria? Take it easy out there, you've been playin' hard all afternoon and you don't want to overdo it." Connor added with a concerned look.
"Don't worry, I feel fine." She replied before running into the water. "So surfing lessons, who's teaching today?" She asked floated next to Dylan.
"Definitely me." He responded pushing the board in her direction. "Now the proper stance combines poise and grace." He instructed as she pulled herself into a kneeling position.
"You realize those are basically the same thing right?" She teased, scanning the deep blue water for the perfect wave.
"Insignificant detail, what matters is that you don't fall off." He huffed resting his hand near her foot. "Here comes one!" He hollered swimming out of the way as she stood up. She managed to stay upright as the board glided through the water. Just as she turned to look back at him she slipped and splashed into the water. Dylan was at her side in an instant one arm wrapped securely around her waist the other gripping the surf board in order to keep them afloat. "You alright?" He asked, worriedly scanning her face for any sign of pain.
"I fell off a surf board. It's no worse than jumping off the rocks." She giggled. "But if it's going to get you to hug me I just might do it more often."
"Well if you wanted a hug that bad all you had to do was ask." He replied with a grin. With a squeeze he let her go and waved towards Connor who was knee deep in the water ready to swim out if there was trouble. "All clear!" Dylan called watching as his brother waved back before heading back on shore.
"I suppose it's your turn now?" Alexandria teased as she floated on her back. They spent another hour taking turns on the surf board. Eventually she spent more time floating in the water then riding the ways. Not taking no for an answer Dylan told her to go back on shore, he'd ride a couple more waves and then get out as well.
Grumbling good-naturedly she swam towards shore quickly spotting Connor sitting on the rocks. Quirking his eyebrow at her he threw a towel her way. Wrapping it around her shoulders she sat down next to him sighing as she watched the sun sink low on the horizon. "It's nice to have a normal day in the midst of all the crazy stuff going on." She murmured resting her head comfortably against his shoulder.
"Yes, because it's normal to have to tell a seventeen year old not to bring katanas to school. He replied shifting slightly to better support her weight.
"You didn't tell me you just took them out of the jeep." She grumbled. They both cringed as Dylan wiped out. "I think that ends the surfing portion of our day." She added as they headed down to meet him.
They found him talking to a woman with fiery red hair and a British accent. "Hey Alexandria, This lady's got a picture of you as a little kid."
"Where'd you get this?" She asked the woman slightly perturbed at the thought of a complete stranger having a picture of her.
"Well the Doc-" Donna was cut off as a bright light shot into the sky and spread over the city forming a large dome. The sound of speakers crackling to life filled the air.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls of all ages! Tonight is the start of a worldwide game, called 'Rise of the villains'!" A voice announced from the hidden speakers. "Featuring all of the Doctor's worst enemies! Daleks! Cybermen! The Weeping Angels! To name but a few! Take down as many of the creatures as you can before they take you out! The winner of the game will be cast in our newest show! Without further ado, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" The voice abruptly cut out and an electronic whirring took its place.
"How the hell did they get their hands on all those aliens in such a short time?" Donna cried as the three teens started running towards the street. For another sound had reached their ears, that of people screaming in terror. Donna took off after silently wondering when the Doctor was going to show up and explain what was going on.
As the group reached the street a horrible sight greeted them. Daleks and Cybermen roamed the streets, shooting anyone who came into their sights. The speakers crackled back on. "You've all probably noticed that the villains are fighting back. There's nothing to be worried about though, those who have been hit are merely asleep and will be picked up by Game Masters to be taken to special areas set up for those who have lost." The voice reassured. "And just in case any of you are thinking of not playing: those domes of light around your city are force fields. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out." It added darkly.
"Ma'am do you have a way of getting in touch with your friend?" Connor asked turning towards Donna as Dylan and Alexandria started packing up their things.
"Not exactly." She replied staring at the nightmare before her. "He's really going to want to talk to your friend though and if we hang around a little longer he's bound to show up."
Connor looked towards the other two, a silent conversation passing between them. 'Right you're coming with us. You can always call your friend with one of our phones." Alexandria finally spoke up as she threw the last bag into the car.
"Where are you going?" Donna asked, surprised that they were so calm while the rest of the city panicked.
"We're going to our house. It probably the only house with enough civilian weaponry to survive whatever this crazy game is." Dylan responded as he jumped in the front seat. "Now let's go!" He ordered as Alexandria pulled Donna towards the backseat.
A/N Well I had a lot of fun writing that chapter so hopefully you all enjoyed it. For the first competition we'll have two winners. Whoever can tell me the correct meaning for Connor and Dylan's names will get to pick the first aides the characters will get!